New Delhi : Punj Lloyd Group, the diversified global engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) conglomerate today announced the launch of the Punj Lloyd PSA Masters, 2010 and the Punj Lloyd WISPA Masters, 2010. Both of these prestigious international events will be played simultaneously between the 14th and 19th of December, 2010 at the Sirifort Complex (CWG Block) in New Delhi.

The Punj Lloyd PSA Masters, 2010 with total prize money of USD 192,500 is the world’s second largest event for professional male players and is India’s largest ever squash event. The tournament will feature the top ranked male players in the world, including the World No. 2 Nick Matthew (England), World No. 4 James Willstrop (England) and World No. 5 Amr Shabana (Egypt) together with India’s Saurav Ghosal, ranked 22nd in the world as well as Harinder Pal Sandhu, the host nation wildcard for the event.

Speaking on the occasion, Nick Matthew, the World No. 2 squash player and runner-up of the Punj Lloyd PSA Masters 2009, said “After its success in Mumbai last year, The Punj Lloyd PSA Masters has become a leading event on the international calendar and the announcement of the Punj Lloyd PSA Masters 2010 was keenly awaited by all the players. I am extremely excited to be coming back to India for this outstanding event and look forward to the same level of support from the crowd that we all received last year!”

Besides organising an international tournament for the world’s top men squash players, this year Punj Lloyd Group is also organising the Punj Lloyd WISPA Masters 2010 for 16 of the world’s best women squash players. With a prize money of USD 36,500 this tournament will be one of the largest events organised in India for professional women squash players and will also mark Punj Lloyd Group’s association with a WISPA event for the first time. The event will see participation from the leading women players in the world, including World No. 2 Jenny Duncalf (England), World No. 7 Kasey Brown (Australia), World No. 10 Camille Serme (France) as well as India’s Dipika Pallikal and Joshna Chinappa, respectively ranked 29 and 36 in the world, spearheading the Indian challenge.

Speaking on the occasion, Atul Punj, Chairman, Punj Lloyd Group said “Post the success of Punj Lloyd PSA Masters 2009, we decided to ramp up our involvement in squash this year. Besides bringing to India two international tournaments for the world’s leading men and women players, we also organised tournaments of schools, universities, clubs and corporates encompassing all the squash playing constituencies in our country. I am certain that this initiative will go a long way in raising the profile of squash in India. This is an opportunity for all sports enthusiasts of India to come and watch the world’s best squash players perform live at the world class facilities built for the Commonwealth Games 2010. I wish all the players the very best of luck and look forward to a thrilling tournament!”

Both Punj Lloyd PSA and WISPA Masters 2010 form the grand finale of Punj Lloyd Squash Masters 2010 – India’s largest ever corporate initiative to develop and promote the sport of squash at the grassroot level in India – organised by Punj Lloyd in association with SRFI. Punj Lloyd Squash Masters 2010 constituted promotional tournaments at school and university levels besides those for the clubs and corporates. As part of this initiative to promote the sport, the winners and runners up in each zone of the school tournament as well as the winners from the championships organised for clubs and corporates have been invited to Delhi to play the inter zonal finals during the Punj Lloyd PSA and WISPA Masters. The winners of each of these tournaments will also get a chance to enhance their skills through coaching clinics from some of the world’s leading players and to view the finals of these international events live in Delhi.

Speaking about Punj Lloyd Group’s initiative, Mr. Srivatsan Subramaniam, Secretary General of the SRFI said, “The importance of Punj Lloyd’s continued commitment for the promotion of the sport cannot be understated and we commend the Group for stepping forward to offer their support. By organizing a series of promotional tournaments and bringing international events of this stature to India, the Punj Lloyd Group has ensured that the sport will capture the public imagination and motivate India’s young talent to work harder to climb the ladder of success.”

Punj Lloyd has appointed Infinity Optimal Solutions Private Limited (IOS) as the exclusive agency responsible for the overall management and promotion of the Punj Lloyd PSA & WISPA Masters 2010 as well as the series of promotional events. Regular updates about the event will be available on www.punjlloydsquashmasters.com as well as through updates from the media centre at IOS.

The event will also be supported by Kyazoonga (Ticketing Partner); SportzPower (Online Media Partner); Times of India (Print Partner); NDTV (Official Broadcaster); Hindustan Publicity (Outdoor Partner); Intercontinental Eros (Hospitality Partner) and Radio One (Radio Partner). Tickets for the event are on sale at www.kyazoonga.com and may also be purchased at the kiosks set up for the purpose at the Sirifort Complex (CWG Block).